Chabbisodhanasutta

Majjhima Nikāya 112

The Sixfold Purification · Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato, SuttaCentral

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Evaṁ me sutaṁ—
ekaṁ samayaṁ bhagavā sāvatthiyaṁ viharati jetavane anāthapiṇḍikassa ārāme.
Tatra kho bhagavā bhikkhū āmantesi:
“bhikkhavo”ti.
“Bhadante”ti te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ.
Bhagavā etadavoca:

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!” “Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu aññaṁ byākaroti:
‘khīṇā jāti, vusitaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, kataṁ karaṇīyaṁ, nāparaṁ itthattāyāti pajānāmī’ti.

“Take a mendicant who declares enlightenment: ‘I understand: “Rebirth is ended, the spiritual journey has been completed, what had to be done has been done, there is nothing further for this place.”’

Tassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno bhāsitaṁ neva abhinanditabbaṁ nappaṭikkositabbaṁ.
Anabhinanditvā appaṭikkositvā pañho pucchitabbo:
‘cattārome, āvuso, vohārā tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Katame cattāro?
Diṭṭhe diṭṭhavāditā, sute sutavāditā, mute mutavāditā, viññāte viññātavāditā—
ime kho, āvuso, cattāro vohārā tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Kathaṁ jānato panāyasmato, kathaṁ passato imesu catūsu vohāresu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti?

You should neither approve nor reject that mendicant’s statement. Rather, you should question them: ‘Reverend, these four kinds of expression have been rightly explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. What four? Saying you’ve seen, heard, thought, or known something, and you have. These are the four kinds of expression rightly explained by the Blessed One, who knows and sees, the perfected one, the fully awakened Buddha. How does the venerable know and see regarding these four kinds of expression so that your mind is freed from defilements by not grasping?’

Khīṇāsavassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vusitavato katakaraṇīyassa ohitabhārassa anuppattasadatthassa parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanassa sammadaññāvimuttassa ayamanudhammo hoti veyyākaraṇāya:
‘diṭṭhe kho ahaṁ, āvuso, anupāyo anapāyo anissito appaṭibaddho vippamutto visaṁyutto vimariyādīkatena cetasā viharāmi.
Sute kho ahaṁ, āvuso …pe…
mute kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
viññāte kho ahaṁ, āvuso, anupāyo anapāyo anissito appaṭibaddho vippamutto visaṁyutto vimariyādīkatena cetasā viharāmi.
Evaṁ kho me, āvuso, jānato evaṁ passato imesu catūsu vohāresu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti.

For a mendicant with defilements ended—who has completed the spiritual journey, done what had to be done, laid down the burden, achieved their heart’s goal, utterly ended the fetter of continued existence, and is rightly freed through enlightenment—it is in line with the teaching to answer: ‘Regarding what is seen, reverends, I live without getting involved or shying away, independent, untied, liberated, detached, with mind free of boundaries. Regarding what is heard … thought … or known, I live without getting involved or shying away, independent, untied, liberated, detached, with mind free of boundaries. That is how I know and see regarding these four kinds of expression so that my mind is freed from defilements by not grasping.’

Tassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ‘sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditabbaṁ anumoditabbaṁ.
‘Sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uttariṁ pañho pucchitabbo.
‘Pañcime, āvuso, upādānakkhandhā tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Katame pañca?
Seyyathidaṁ—rūpupādānakkhandho, vedanupādānakkhandho, saññupādānakkhandho, saṅkhārupādānakkhandho, viññāṇupādānakkhandho—
ime kho, āvuso, pañcupādānakkhandhā tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Kathaṁ jānato panāyasmato, kathaṁ passato imesu pañcasu upādānakkhandhesu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti?

Saying ‘Good!’ you should applaud and cheer that mendicant’s statement, then ask a further question: ‘Reverend, these five grasping aggregates have been rightly explained by the Buddha. What five? That is: the grasping aggregates of form, feeling, perception, choices, and consciousness. These are the five grasping aggregates that have been rightly explained by the Buddha. How does the venerable know and see regarding these five grasping aggregates so that your mind is freed from defilements by not grasping?’

Khīṇāsavassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vusitavato katakaraṇīyassa ohitabhārassa anuppattasadatthassa parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanassa sammadaññāvimuttassa ayamanudhammo hoti veyyākaraṇāya:
‘rūpaṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso, abalaṁ virāgunaṁ anassāsikanti viditvā ye rūpe upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.
Vedanaṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …pe…
saññaṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
saṅkhāre kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
viññāṇaṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso, abalaṁ virāgunaṁ anassāsikanti viditvā ye viññāṇe upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.
Evaṁ kho me, āvuso, jānato evaṁ passato imesu pañcasu upādānakkhandhesu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti.

For a mendicant with defilements ended it is in line with the teaching to answer: ‘Reverends, knowing that form is powerless, faded, and unreliable, I understand that my mind is freed through the ending, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go of attraction, grasping, mental fixation, insistence, and underlying tendency for form. Knowing that feeling … perception … choices … consciousness is powerless, faded, and unreliable, I understand that my mind is freed through the ending, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go of attraction, grasping, mental fixation, insistence, and underlying tendency for consciousness. That is how I know and see regarding these five grasping aggregates so that my mind is freed from defilements by not grasping.’

Tassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno ‘sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditabbaṁ, anumoditabbaṁ.
‘Sādhū’ti bhāsitaṁ abhinanditvā anumoditvā uttariṁ pañho pucchitabbo.
‘Chayimā, āvuso, dhātuyo tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Katamā cha?
Pathavīdhātu, āpodhātu, tejodhātu, vāyodhātu, ākāsadhātu, viññāṇadhātu—
imā kho, āvuso, cha dhātuyo tena bhagavatā jānatā passatā arahatā sammāsambuddhena sammadakkhātā.
Kathaṁ jānato panāyasmato, kathaṁ passato imāsu chasu dhātūsu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti?

Saying ‘Good!’ you should applaud and cheer that mendicant’s statement, then ask a further question: ‘Reverend, these six elements have been rightly explained by the Buddha. What six? The elements of earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness. These are the six elements that have been rightly explained by the Buddha. How does the venerable know and see regarding these six elements so that your mind is freed from defilements by not grasping?’

Khīṇāsavassa, bhikkhave, bhikkhuno vusitavato katakaraṇīyassa ohitabhārassa anuppattasadatthassa parikkhīṇabhavasaṁyojanassa sammadaññāvimuttassa ayamanudhammo hoti veyyākaraṇāya:
‘pathavīdhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso, na attato upagacchiṁ, na ca pathavīdhātunissitaṁ attānaṁ.
Ye ca pathavīdhātunissitā upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.
Āpodhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …pe…
tejodhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
vāyodhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
ākāsadhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso …
viññāṇadhātuṁ kho ahaṁ, āvuso, na attato upagacchiṁ, na ca viññāṇadhātunissitaṁ attānaṁ.
Ye ca viññāṇadhātunissitā upāyūpādānā cetaso adhiṭṭhānābhinivesānusayā tesaṁ khayā virāgā nirodhā cāgā paṭinissaggā vimuttaṁ me cittanti pajānāmi.
Evaṁ kho me, āvuso, jānato, evaṁ passato imāsu chasu dhātūsu anupādāya āsavehi cittaṁ vimuttan’ti.

For a mendicant with defilements ended it is in line with the teaching to answer: ‘Reverends, I’ve not taken the earth element as self, nor is there a self based on the earth element. And I understand that my mind is freed through the ending, fading away, cessation, giving away, and letting go of attraction, grasping, mental fixation, insistence, and underlying tendency based on the earth element. I’ve not taken the water element … fire element … air element … space element … consciousness element as self, nor is there a self based on the consciousness element. And I understand that my mind is freed through the ending of attraction based on the consciousness element. That is how I know and see regarding these six elements so that my mind is freed from defilements by not grasping.’

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